Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1887-03-11
THE suLTAN.s APOLOGY.
War Between the United States and the
Turks Happily Averted,

War Between the United States and the
Turks Happily Averted.
Prof. Mortimer E. Cooley, who holds
the chair of mechanical engineering at
Ann Arbor University, used to be Lieu
tenant Cooley of the United States
navy, and, although he holds a grave
and honored position as a member OF
the learned faculty of that institution
and is quite an enthusiast in his pres.
ent work, he still looks back with long.
ing at the jolly times he used to have
on board the good ship Quinnebaug.
During that cruise to Europe on the
Quinnebaug, said the professor in the
course OF chat few days ago, "we
anchored for awhile off Constantinople
opposite the Sultan's palace. The Off
GERS at the palace somehow got the inn
preston that we were trying to flirt
with the women of the harem-the
harem looks out upon the water-and
to tlirt with the Sultan's women is
crime of very great magnitude in Con-
stantinople. 1 don't believe one on
shipboard knew any thing about the
harem, but that made no difference.
Anyhow, to oblige the officials we
moved down the river. One day two
of our boys-one CT them a hot-blooded
Kentuckian-were out on little pleas.
ant trip, and were being poled down
the river in one of those Turkish boats
by native. One of the boys soiled his
fingers somehow, and dipped them in
the water and then dried them with his
handkerchief, the boat being at the
moment directly opposite the harem
A soldier on duty at the palace saw the
incident and thought, or pretended to
think, that the young fellow was try
ing a handkerchief Irritation. He hailed
the boatman and commanded him to
pull into land. The boys strongly OBJ
jccted, but the soldier waved his yata-
CHAN and the boatman, who seemed
much frightened, shot the boat to
shore. The soldier could speak no
English and the young men could
speak no Turkish, but it was
evident the two were to be made
prisoners. Notwithstanding their pro-
tests and resistance they were locked
tlp in the palace guard-room and held
in custody several hours. Then they
were marched out and brought before
a magistrate. The soldier told his
story. The young men tried to ex-
plain in English, and in French and in
German, but neither the magis trate
nor any one else in the court could I'M
derstand. The Kentuckian was hot
and showed it, just as the magistrate
was about to pass sentence-and Sc
we're sentence it would have been-a
gentleman CHANGED to come into court
who was able to act as interpreter.
The young men explained that they
were officers of the United States navy,
and knew nothing about the Sultan's
harem, and would not touch one of his
women with forty-foot pole, anyhow.
The boys were discharged with a
caution. But the Kentuckian was too
mad to let it rest there. AS soon as he
got on board he told the story to the
Captain, hot-headed German; he got
mad, too. He swore black and blue,
and by all that was high and holy, that
if ample reparation and apology were
not forthcoming he would shell the
palace. | might mention that the
Quinnebaug was a little sloop with
few old guns; and the whole Turkish
navy, including British man-of- war
the Turks had just bought, was then
III Viz Dol. Duls uOIluOE unt
bitten! the United States flag had
been insulted. and we would have to
get satisfaction. The Captain went
straightway to United States Minister
Maynard and told the story, and he,
too, got mad. Why, he was the mad
dest man of the three. He started for
the palace, and pretty soon had big
complaint laid before the Sultan. The
result of it all was that few days later
the Sultan and the Admiral of the
Turkish navy came with all their
guards and paraphernalia to visit the
Qulnnebaug and apologize to the in
suited officers. The young men
were called up and the Ad-
miral made speech in Turk
ish. The Captain received the apology
with gracious dignity, and thus peace
full relations were once more estab-
lished between the Turkish nation ana
the Quinnebaug. The Sultan did the
thing handsomely by sending us the
next day present of two brass cannon
from his private arsenal. ~ Chicago